Titans Appoint Steve Salvin as New Forwards Coach

Rotherham Titans has today confirmed the signing of Steve Salvin as new forwards coach ahead of the 2014/15 Greene King IPA Championship campaign.

Salvin, 31, spent last season as Performance Pathway Manager at Worcester Warriors Academy, having previously been involved in a similar role at Doncaster Knights where he was the Academy manager. Salvin also has experience of senior rugby from his time spent as Head Coach at South Yorkshire side Sheffield Tigers.

Commenting on Salvin's appointment Titans Director of Rugby, Richard Senior, explained, "The time was right to make a change with the structure of the coaching team.  We believe we have to put a huge emphasis on our set piece this coming season and a full time forwards coach was the right direction for us to go. If we are to keep competitive this coming season we have to look at the improvements we can make.

"On the guys who are leaving us we have great respect for their contribution to a very successful season. Micky Ward has done a very good job for us putting in an enormous amount of effort and the boys have the upmost respect for him and the work he's done. We would like to say a big thanks to Micky and we wish him well in his future.

"Ed Williamson has also done an excellent job this year and he's worked exceptionally hard during his first season coaching in the Championship. His drive and enthusiasm with the boys has been exceptional and he has been marvellous around the club and I am sure he will have made some good friends during his stay with us. The club would like to express its gratitude to Ed and wish him and his family all the best in his future.”

Incoming forwards coach Steve Salvin was a member of the same Titans Premiership squad as Lee Blackett, but unfortunately for him a shoulder injury ended his playing career at just 21.

Continuing Richard Senior added, "I've know Steve for over five years from my time as Director of Rugby at Sheffield Tigers, where Steve was the Head Coach. Lee Blackett and Steve go back even further from when they played for Rotherham in the Premiership squad of 2003/04. The one thing you can say about Steve is that rugby is his life, unfortunately he had to retire early through injury, but his love for the sport remains undiminished.

"Steve's spent the last 10 years coaching and that's what he loves to do. He's desperate to do well at Rotherham and although he's been involved with academies at Doncaster and Worcester, he's wanted to come into a more competitive senior environment where results mattered.
"It was a case of bringing someone in on a full time basis that could look at the set piece and add some value to the coming season.”

Salvin himself is thrilled at the opportunity of working with the Titans and Lee Blackett, as he explained, "It means a great deal to me to have the opportunity to move into senior coaching, because the majority of my coaching has been at academy level, although I did some senior coaching at Sheffield Tigers, who were competing in National Two at the time.

"But I felt I was ready to make the transition into professional coaching and the reason this opportunity means so much to me is because it's with a club I've played for. Plus I'm a local lad, I know the area, I know the club and I'm South Yorkshire through and through.
"The chance to work with Lee is a fantastic opportunity, he's developed a phenomenal reputation over the last 12 months with Rotherham and to link-up with him again is an exciting prospect. Particularly when you see how Rotherham are performing under his leadership.

"I suppose my background is a little bit different to Lee's, although we did play a bit together at quite a young age. I got injured out of the game when I was very young and I've spent the last 10 years of my life trying to become the best coach I could possibly be. So I possibly see things from a slightly different point of view to Lee, in that my background is as a coach, as opposed to a player.

"The areas that have been highlighted for me is to predominantly work with the forwards. That will include the set piece and the breakdown area, which is an area that I played and which I'm particularly passionate about and also on the defensive side of the game.  So I suppose in a nutshell it's the confrontational side that I'll be involved in and for me that's what makes the game so special and to be fair those are the areas during the last 10 years where I have specialised in.”